Here is some analysis on what Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s statement of regret for Korean forced laborers during World War II means:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that he felt “strong pain” in his heart when he thought of the suffering of the Korean victims of forced labor during his country’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
In carefully selected words, he expressed sympathy for the Koreans at a press conference in Seoul after his summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, acknowledging “the extreme difficulty and sorrow that many people had to suffer under the harsh environment in those days.”
Kishida’s remarks suggest both his determination to improve Korea-Japan relations and how far he was willing to go in that effort, given his political climate at home, according to experts, Monday.
“In his famous 2015 address [marking 70 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II], former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his administration would not let their future generations ‘be predestined to apologize’ โ a position from which Kishida is not free. This is why Kishida said he would carry forward the positions on colonial-era history of Japan’s previous cabinets during Yoon’s visit to Japan in March,” Shin Kak-soo, former vice foreign minister and former Korean ambassador to Japan, told The Korea Times. “In that sense, his comment this time is a step forward.”
The former ambassador said that Kishida โ under pressure from both Korea and the conservative wing of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, which rejects any form of concession โ appeared to have expressed his stance by sophisticatedly using restrained terms.
“From what I heard, Japan’s foreign ministry opposed the idea [of expressing his sympathy]. That means Kishida made his own political decision,” he added.
Jin Chang-soo, an expert on Japan at the Sejong Institute, a think tank, agreed.
“There is a wide political consensus in Japan that it should stop apologizing to Koreans over historical issues,” Jin said. “Given the situation, I think Kishida’s remarks, though insufficient, helped make progress in rapprochement.”
Korea Times
You can read more at the link, but apology fatigue in Japan is a real thing. Additionally the fact that Japan has made apologies and concessions in the past to just have the Korean administration change and rip up prior agreements and make new demands is something President Yoon will have to convince PM Kishida will not happen this time before any larger concessions are made.
I really think the biggest obstacle to major gains in bilateral relations is going to be how does President Yoon convince Kishida that anything they agree to will actually last after he leaves office? The Japanese have seen so many agreements get reneged on after a new person takes over the Presidency that is why they are probably going to be very cautious before agreeing to any major deals:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Seoul Air Base, south of Seoul, on May 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in South Korea on Sunday for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, marking the full-scale resumption of “shuttle diplomacy” between the two countries’ leaders after 12 years.
Kishida’s visit comes as bilateral relations have warmed significantly following Seoul’s decision in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor without contributions from Japanese firms.
Yoon traveled to Tokyo 10 days after the decision was announced and held a summit with Kishida as the first South Korean president to pay a bilateral visit to Japan in 12 years.
Kishida’s two-day visit is also the first bilateral visit by a Japanese leader in 12 years, marking the full-scale resumption of “shuttle diplomacy,” or regular mutual visits, as agreed between Yoon and Kishida during their summit in Tokyo in March.
Upon arrival, the Japanese prime minister headed to Seoul National Cemetery and paid his respects to Korea’s fallen independence fighters and war veterans.
Later in the day, he will hold a summit with Yoon at the presidential office, hold a joint news conference, and then have dinner with Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee at the official presidential residence, according to diplomatic sources.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but that was a very symbolic move by Kishida to pay his respects at the National Cemetery.
Here is another development in the improving ties between South Korea and Japan:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea later this month, in what appears to be a move to gain the upper hand over Seoul in trilateral relations between South Korea, Japan and the U.S.
Korea Times
Citing multiple government officials from both the South Korean and Japanese governments, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday that the prime minister will visit Seoul from May 7 to 8. It will be his first trip to South Korea since taking office.
The newspaper reported that the visit is aimed at responding to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Japan in March, during which the South Korean leader showed his willingness to improve chilled bilateral relations.ย
The South Korean presidential office did not confirm this, but admitted that “consultations are ongoing” over the prime minister’s visit to South Korea.
If it takes place, the visit will be the first by a Japanese prime minister since February 2018, when Shinzo Abe made one on the occasion of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here. In terms of bilateral diplomacy, however, it will be the first visit since October 2011, when Yoshihiko Noda visited Seoul for a summit with then-South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
You can read more at the link.
This is pretty wild that just months after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated that someone has attempted to kill current Prime Minister Kishida as well:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed Saturday after someone threw an explosive device in his direction while he was campaigning at a fishing port in western Japan, officials said. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air.
One police officer was slightly hurt and Kishida continued campaigning Saturday, but the chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came on a campaign tour and continues to reverberate in Japanese politics. Kishida was visiting Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture to support his ruling party’s candidate in a local election, and the explosion occurred just before he was to begin his speech.
A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested Saturday at the scene after he allegedly threw “the suspicious object,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Matsuno refused to comment on the suspect’s motive and background, saying police are still investigating.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but no word yet on what this guy’s motive was for trying to kill Prime Minister Kishida. ROK Heads may remember the guy that killed Shinzo Abe was motivated by how the Korean Unification Church wiped out all the savings from his mother leaving him with no inheritance. Abe had ties to the church and the man killed Abe as revenge against the church.
Here is the latest sign that relations are continuing to improve between Japan and Korea. I guess we will see if it leads to anything positive, but considering how low the popularity is domestically for both leaders they both probably do not have the political capital to get any big deals done:
The summit took place suddenly, as the details had been kept under wraps for days, in the form of Yoon visiting the venue of an event hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York.
Yoon and Kishida “agreed on the need to improve bilateral relations by resolving pending issues,” South Korea’s readout of the meeting said. The two agreed to instruct their diplomats to accelerate talks to that end.
Yoon and Kishida also “shared serious concern about North Korea’s nuclear program,” including its recent legalization of nuclear arms and the possibility of a seventh nuclear test, and “agreed to cooperate closely with the international community to respond to it,” according to the readout.
A presidential official hailed the summit as “the first step toward producing tangible results.”
“After two years and 10 months, despite the existence of various disputes between South Korea and Japan, the two leaders met and took the first step toward a resolution. That is why it was highly significant,” the official told reporters in New York.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
It will be interesting to see if any big announcements in regards to resolving historical issues between the countries will be announced:
President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold his first-ever summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York next week on a trip that will include his attendance at the U.N. General Assembly and a separate meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, his office said Thursday.
The meeting with Kishida will mark the first summit between the two countries in nearly three years since the last meeting in December 2019 and raises hope for improving relations frayed badly over wartime forced labor and other issues related to Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
